The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1887-10-08
FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE'S "NOTE
OF INTERROGATION"
BY MARK HOLRoYD.
(Wyanet, Ill.)

came to the position that he could not
believe in endless misery. An admirer
of the essayist accounted for this by
saying it was his sentimental and SYM
pathetic nature that led Foster into
that line of thought. No doubt these
influenced the great essayist as they did
his Master when he prayed for the
cruel Jewish priests and rulers, "Father,
forgive them, they know not what they
do;'' but they were not all that influ-
enced him. Fosters idea of justice had
as much to do with his repudiation of
the terrible dogma as his sentimental
and sympathetic soul. His logic and
mathematics could see the dark and
tremendous cloud of injustice overshad-
owing his heavenly Father, "Who is
just and true in all his ways"
How often is rejection Of an end
less hell attributed to a weak senti-
mentalism that is not profound enough
to take in the demands of Gods law?
Forsooth the orthodox are the astute
thinkers and robust defenders of the
faith who are not carried away with
their sympathies If we read Florence
Nightingale's Mote of Interrogation"
in Fraser's Magazine, for 1878, we shall
see she cuts right and left into the past
and present theologies; and one only
needs to read about her, to learn that
she was more than sympathetic; the
soldiers executive friend, not of one
idea, but many, touching humanity on
its many sides. The following extracts
show the estimation in which she was
held as fully rounded thinker. "Her
Notes on Nursing is atreasured text
book in many household. Her notes
on hospitals, from their clearness of
statement and minuteness of detail are
most valuable to the architect, the en-
gineer, and the medical officer"
In the year 1868, was issued the re-
ports of the commission on the sani-
tary condition of the English army in
India. The report with evidence occu-
pies two folio volumes Of nearly 1000
pages. The second of these huge fo-
lios is filled with reports from every
station in India, occupied by British
and native troops. These reports were
sent in manuscript to Miss Nightingale,
and at page 347, Vol. 1, are inserted
her observations upon this immense
mass of evidence. SIN these observa-
tions the facts are brought together in
an order, and with an incisive force of
statement, which render it one Of the
most remarkable public papers ever
penned." Chambers Encyclopedia
Accompanying this paper is some
thing from her Mote of Interrogation"
Without this extract, vigorous theologic
thinkers might say, 80, she is only
sentimental and good army nurse, sway
ed by tender nature, and not at all
qualified to look into the profound
depths of divinity" Not so : read what
follows:
From "Note of Interrogation"
because / am God and not man."
said one a few thousand years ago.
Then surely is it not the most impor-
tant, and at the same time the most
neglected point in theology to deter
mine what God is; what his character
is like-a poet once said, Love was
fellow SERVICE" and yet the same poet
writes:
'Tt fortifes my soul to know,
That though perish, truth is so,
That howsoeer 1 stray and range,
Whate'er do thou dost not change,
steadier step when recall.
That if slip thou dost not fall
Yes, "But truth is So" that 81
shall not perish. /" Though he slay me-"
says Job, ''yet will 1 trust in him."
YesSbut trust in him because know
he will not slay me or any one else.
1t seems to be a fact ignored or put out
of sight, that for no one of our beliefs,
religious, physical, moral or scientific,
have we any dependence, but the char
acter of God. The presumption Of an
Immortality, grounded merely on un-
satisfied instincts is fallacy. 1t is an
other thing to say perfect God whose
only design can be to lead every one of
us to perfe ction, put those instincts
into US. He never leaves any work
unfinished. He is ''invaIiable and with
out shadow of turning" Therefore,
he will to each one of us fulfill in an
other state those aspirations after per
fection, which are necessarily left un-
oatiafiad in thia haeauaa thia vuorld 10